As I was growing up, I told myself that I would be the perfect husband and father for my future family. My parents set a good example for me to learn from as they tried their best to raise me with godly values. Though my parents were not perfect in every area of parenting, my siblings and I always looked up to their leadership. There are times when I’m just amazed by how they were able to raise all three of us so well because it certainly is not so easy for me.
My wife and I have been married for over five years now. Our relationship has definitely grown more intimate than ever before. There are many good and bad memories I can think of and all in all, God has been so good to us. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to be the leader of a household these days as I was reading about Abraham, Ezra, and Nehemiah. God has revealed amazing leadership characteristics of each person that I simply looked over before. The three individuals and their leadership taught me what I need to work on as a godly father, a husband and a spiritual leader to many. As I found myself struggling to become a better leader and a loving husband for my wife, two kids came along and made it even harder for me. Since I am not a natural leader, I was often forced to make decisions and had to learn to accept my role as the leader in my household and at church as a spiritual leader. It’s been a tough and yet rewarding journey for the last five years of family life and seven years of ministry experience. I still have a long way to go but I understand and accept my role as a leader that God has called me to be. I’m grateful to God for blessing me with people, especially my wife, who continue to encourage and challenge me to become a better leader.
For the past few weeks, I have been visiting and counseling Timothy families. Each family had a unique set of issues and struggles but one common topic that we discussed was on the topic of parenting and leadership. God allowed me to comfort and encourage dads and moms for the amazing job they are doing, but I also challenged them by reminding them that they are called to be “leaders of their household.” I hope to see many parents taking on full responsibility of their calling to be leaders of their households by humbly kneeling before God for His strength and wisdom. I was so encouraged to hear that there is a prayer movement that’s starting up at our church among the leaders and parents. God is about to do some amazing things at our church and in your families! I challenge all the leaders and parents to come out to EMP on Saturdays and also join the Friday night leaders/parents prayer meetings to participate and fully experience the blessings of this prayer movement.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
January 27, 2013